January 28, 2015
India to appeal against ruling over import ban of US poultry
India has disputed that the country's import suspension on US poultry shipments was not in line with international norms.
The issue was being highlighted by a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling which declared the ban as "unjustifiably discriminate" and "a disguised restriction on international trade."
In response, India launched an appeal to the Dispute Settlement Board of the WTO, claiming legal inconsistencies in the ruling.
The problem started in 2007 when India banned the import of several US farm products to the country, in order to prevent the spread of avian flu. This compelled the US to bring its case before WTO in March 2012, expressing grievances over the suspension which included poultry meat and egg.
As a result, India's avian flu measures were being slammed for being prohibitive in a manner not grounded in international standards or a sound scientific basis.
India holds up as a promising market for US chicken exports. Broiler meat consumption in the South Asian country is on the rise and expected to reach 3.72 million tonnes in 2014, a higher figure compared to 3.45 million tonnes in 2013.